Only the Good Die Young
by Storm Etienne
Summary: She who had so little to offer, was wiling to offer it all. But what could she, of all people, contribute to the world?
1. Chapter 1

I had been watching him carefully, down glass after glass, bottle after bottle, finally sitting there: completely wasted.

But God knew that it was not easy to be Tony Stark.

Finally I sighed, getting up from where I was sitting, walking to where he was. I gently pried empty bottle from his hand and tossed a bill on the counter. The only one I had. But I could always get more.

"Come on" I said gently, leading him out to his car. "Let's get you home".

I held out my hand and he reached into his pocket, placing his car keys in my hand. Not an incredibly smart move, considering that I looked to be only 12 years old; I cut him some slack: he was drunk.

Guiding him into the car, I drove down the busy streets of New York and pulled up at the famous "Avengers Tower". I took his hand and we slowly reached the entrance.

I was greeted at the door by Steve Rogers: the American hero, God's gift to mankind. _Don't get mad, stay calm._ I plopped Tony's keys in his hand. He looked at me in shock.

"Were you driving?" he asked. I considered lying to him, but I really hated lying.

"I'm older than I look". I left it at that and he asked me no more questions.

"Thank you ma'am for everything, we really appreciate it" he smiled at me. I saw that two more were joining him at the door. One with red hair, the other in a purple vest.

"Stay safe Tony" I said softly, Tony gave no sign of hearing me.

"Really", continued Steve, "is there any way we can thank you? It's late, you can stay here for the night". The girl with the red hair was indiscreetly kicking his shin, but he ignored her."Do you have a place to stay?"

I looked down, studying my shoes, "It's fine, really. I'm happy to help"

"But it wouldn't be too much work" he insisted. "You look like you could really use some rest"

Was it that obvious? I couldn't remember the last time I had gotten any sleep, the last time I had given in to the nightmares that followed me everywhere I went.

"I really shouldn't" I muttered but it was too late. His mention at my lack of sleep had completely destroyed my will to stay awake. My knees buckled and I fell forward. I was caught by strong arms at the last second and the world faded to black.

* * *

When I came to my senses, I was lying on a bed in a large minimalistic styled room. I was wearing the same clothes as last night, but somebody had taken off my shoes. I got out of bed and rubbed my eyes. A voice spoke from the ceiling.

"Miss, the Avengers are having breakfast right now. Down the hallway and to the left" The voice was male, and didn't have one of those funny American accents, it was British like mine. JARVIS he was called.

"Thank you Jarvis" I said, and made my way down the hall.

The whole gang was there, Tony Stark, Captain America, two assassins and the Hulk. Thor was missing, in Asgard I assumed.

"Come, sit" said Steve, breaking the awkward silence. Eying everyone at the table, I pulled out a chair and sat. A plate was placed in front of me, with practically every breakfast food imaginable. A glass of orange juice soon joined.

Everyone was watching me, I stared back them awkwardly. Only the red haired assassin, Natasha, understood. Reaching across the table she took a sip of my orange juice and took a sample from every type of food on the plate. I studied her, she seemed to be completely fine, she wasn't dying or anything. I deemed the food safe to consume.

I slowly ate and the others broke their stares.

Natasha tried to start a conversation "So Tes-" I cut her off.

"I don't use that name" I said coldly. "That was my birth name"

"What would you like us to call you?" spoke Bruce Banner. I thought for a moment.

"Some call me Mavis." He nodded and continued eating. No one spoke for a while.

"I have to ask" broke in Clint Barton, the second assassin. "I noticed you had a British accent. Were you born in England?" Tony interrupted him.

"I'm am so tired of saying, Robin Hood, just because a person is British doesn't mean that they know Harry Potter"

"But I thought everyone in England was best friends with Harry Potter!" Clint whined. "How am I supposed to get his Skype?"

"You're not supposed to; there's no such thing as Harry Potter!" Clint crossed his arms in a very childish manner.

"If you don't believe, you won't receive" he said. They continued to bicker like this and I zoned out. Finally a voice interrupted my thoughts.

"But you never answered the question, are you from England?" Steve Roger asked me. I looked him in the eye.

"I've never been to England in my life"

He frowned. "Are your parents British?' I looked down at my plate. Memories flooded my mind, my father looking at me, my mother by the door. The word that came from his mouth, that hurt me more than sticks and stones ever could. His gaze softened at this, he had seen my expression of pain.

"Do you have any parents?" he asked gently. I thought about this.

"Depends on you ask" I said finally said, answering his question without giving him an answer.

Tony spoke up. "Hey we all have daddy issues, it's okay". I nodded. I knew a lot about the relationship between Tony Stark and his father. I got up out of my seat.

"Thank you for your hospitality" I said in a monotonic voice. "I should get going, places to go, people to see". I put my dishes in the sink and turned to see Tony Stark, staring me with his big brown eyes.

"Please don't go" he said. He sounded sincere, and he didn't even make any sort of joke or sexual reference.

"I really shouldn't" I said offhandedly, ignoring the puppy dog eyes he was giving me. But of course, my life has the worst timing. Nicholas Fury burst through from the elevator.

"I see, you have met Mavis" he said, adjusting the black eye patch around his head. She will be temporarily joining you at the Avengers tower indefinitely." he gave me a look that said "I will always find you in the end, don't try to run away". I sighed.

"Who are you?" I asked politely, putting on the most innocent 12 year expression I had in my arsenal of weapons. He gave me a look.

"Director Fury of SHIELD" he said with authority.

"Well Mr. Furry" I said, eying Tony Stark who was unsuccessfully stuffing a fist in his mouth to keep himself from laughing. "I do not recall agreeing to stay here with SHIELD"

"That's because we never gave you the choice" He said and he walked out before I could reply.

"You sneaky little bastard".


	2. Chapter 2

"We should get you some clothes" Natasha said, eying the clothes I had been wearing for three days straight.

"I don't have-" she cut me off.

"Don't worry about the money, Stark has more than enough. We can go now, there's no time like the present". I nodded and followed her.

"What about me!" called Clint Barton running after us. Natasha raised an eyebrow at me, clearly letting me decide if I wanted to allow the over-enthusiastic archer to come.

"If Mr. Barton wants to come he can" I said stiffly. Clint frowned at me.

"It's just Clint". He broke into a grin. "Come on girls, let's go shopping!" he started skipping down the hallway into the elevator.

I turned to Natasha. "Is he always-"

"Yes, he is" she sighed. I had made a big mistake allowing him to tag along.

It was clear that Clint Barton was not happy with my sense of style. Going down the aisles, I pulled out random sweaters and jeans and gave them to Natasha.

"Shouldn't you try them on?" Clint asked.

"Don't want to." I said. He gave a look to Natasha who's expression was completely unfathomable.

After doing this for a while he finally asked me.

"Mavis, it's like 40 degrees and it's summer. Don't you want some t-shirts or shorts?" I studied his expression. Did he think I was going to die of heatstroke or something? Finally I smiled.

"Yes that's a good idea!" He smiled at this, looking relieved. "I might get cold if I don't have anything underneath my sweaters!" I picked out a few t-shirts and gave them to Natasha. I almost laughed at his exasperated expression. But I didn't. I pretended not to notice when he placed a few pairs of shorts in the stack of clothes in Natasha's arms. We brought back a lot of bags back to the tower.

When we got to the elevator I turned around and looked the two assassins straight in the eye.

"Ms. Romanov, Mr. Barton, thank you for accompanying me". I said this as honestly as possible. I sincerely appreciated them joining me, it almost made me feel like a normal 12 year old girl, shopping for clothes. Almost. But almost was the closest I had ever gotten.

"It's just Clint"

"It's just Natasha" she said at the same time. I shrugged.

Clint Barton was still convinced that I was going to evaporate underneath all my layers of clothing. I tried to explain to him, I didn't like the cold and I didn't get easily. He refused to hear ir.

He started by slowly adding pairs of shorts and t-shirts into my closet. I completely ignored this and continued wearing the jeans and sweaters that I felt comfortable in.

Getting frustrated, he started to take the jeans and sweaters that I had been wearing. This was crossing the line. So, as a silent protest, I wore the same sweater and jeans for three weeks. I made sure to hang around Tony, when he was in the workshop as much as possible, when I wasn't, I was with Clint, who was wincing because of the smell of Tony' sweat and car oil on me. Barton hated the smell of car oil.

Finally he cracked and came to my room with a stack of clothes in his arms.

"Truce"

I smiled at him brightly, before going to go take a shower.

"I like this one" I heard Natasha I say.

* * *

I was very nervous, Nick Fury had called to say that he wanted an assessment on my skills before training me. The others had looked at me with pitying expressions, this was not encouraging.

The morning before I had to leave, I was sitting at the kitchen table, halfheartedly eating a bowl of cereal.

"Nervous?" asked Bruce Banner, he was the only there, the others were sleeping: it was 3 in the morning

"A little" I admitted. I hesitated. "Dr. Banner?"

He looked up from the omelet that he was carefully eating. "You can call me Bruce"

"How did your skills assessment go?" He looked at me, with a thousand emotions on his face. He looked at his watch.

"We should get going, you don't want to be late." Not good I gathered.

* * *

"Dr. Banner, thank you for walking to HQ" I said when we had arrived at our destination.

"There's no need to thank me. Call be Bruce" He smiled at me.

"And Mavis", he said, before leaving. "I'm sure you'll do fine"

That makes one of us.

Taking a deep breath, I entered the building.

* * *

If you were to ask me what had happened, I wouldn't be able to tell you. I only remember entering a dark room and exiting it. I was standing in a dimly lit hallway, looking for where I was supposed to go to get the results. There was one man, this immediately put me on alert; the hallways were always filled with people.

I took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. After this I was beyond his eyes, in his mind. This was the reason SHIELD had kept tabs on me for so long. They knew I had this ability, they said it made me 'special'. The only thing they didn't know was how I had gotten it. This was the reason they kept hunting me down; no matter how much I ran, they would always find me.

The agent's thoughts weren't very clear, like a phone call with bad reception. I could only get one clear thought 'Hail Hydra'.

Staying calm, I kept walking down the hallway, until we were right beside each other. Springing into the action, I kicked him where the sun don't shine. One kick and he was down. I held his head forcefully in my hand before asking clearly.

"Your mission, what is it?"

He refused to talk, muttering nonsense about dragons and multiplying heads. His thoughts were unclear, like he was thinking of nonsense so I couldn't read him. But I could see what the plan was. They wanted to take out the leader, Fury.

Out of the blue, and agent came and shot a bullet in his head. A searing pain came across me, like I was being struck by lightning. I could see the man's mind shutting down. I groaned before passing out.

* * *

When I awoke, there were a billion machines hooked up to me. Fury was at my side, talking to a doctor. He noticed that I was awake.

"Sorry about that, we had to study how your power worked" my eyes widened. That was part of the test too?

"You son of bitch" he frowned at this muttering under his breath something that sounded suspiciously like "just like her brother".

Did I pass?" I asked. He nodded.

"There's just one problem" he said gravely. "Your powers aren't completely bonded with your DNA" he broke off into scientific gobbely gook. But I understood what he was saying.

My power would be the cause of my destruction, they were killing me every time I used them.


	3. Chapter 3

When I got back to the Avengers Tower, everyone was just outside the elevator on my floor, eagerly waiting for me.

"How did it go?" asked Clint Barton. I shrugged my shoulders and started walking to my bedroom. Everyone followed me. I sat on my bed and noticed that everyone was giving me a look.

"What?"

"What happened? Did you pass?" asked Natasha.

"Is this an interrogation?". Natasha gave me a glare and I sighed.

"Well, jolly old St. Nicholas said that I have a lot of potential, and that with the right training I could become a very good SHIELD agent, maybe even an Avenger. He said that Ms. Romanov will be teaching me skill, Mr. Barton will be giving me stamina and strength training and Mr. Rogers will be teaching me war history". Tony patted me on the back.

"Score! You get history lessons from our nation's greatest hero! Not many girls get to spend so much time with the almighty Capsicle!" I rolled my eyes. Steve blushed.

"I'm Canadian" I muttered. Everyone looked at me in shock.

"What!" exclaimed Tony. "I have so many questions to ask you!" I held up a hand, interrupting him.

"To answer all your questions, we do not ride on polar bears, we do not live in igloos, we do not walk around chugging bottles of maple syrup and it does not snow 24/7". Tony sighed, looking dejected.

"There goes all my dreams. My life was all a lie" he said dramatically. I rolled my eyes again.

"Americans" I muttered, entering the elevator. Everyone followed me.

"Well", continued Tony. "Either way, welcome to the Avengers!".

"Thanks" I said, pressing the button for the ground floor.

"Thanks she says" says Tony to the others. "Most people would be jumping with joy, 'My fangirl dreams have come true!'" I rolled my eyes.

"Guess I'm not like most people"

"Well that's all gonna change! We're gonna party all day! JARVIS can get some music rolling and I'll pick up a few bottles of-" Steve cut him off.

"Tony, Mavis is 8-"

"12" I supplied.

"Mavis is 12 years old, we are not going to allow her to drink!" Tony rolled his eyes.

"Water! I was going to say bottles of water" he said defensively.

"Sure Tony" We all exited the elevator.

"Well, you young lady are going to celebrate, you have just joined America's most awesome club of superheros!"

"America's only club of superheros" added Bruce Banner.

"You, are going to learn how to chill and relax!" continued Tony, as if he didn't hear Banner.

"Yes sir." I said. "Actually, I was hoping I could start my training if you guys don't object" I looked at Steve, Natasha and Clint.

"What?!" Tony looked at me like I had sprouted two more heads. "Cap, what have you done to her?! She has dedication and is hard working!"

"I don't mind starting the history lessons, I'll meet you in an hour in the conference room" Steve said, beaming at me. He walked away.

"You have a conference room?" I asked Tony, surprised.

"Pepper made me add to the designs" he muttered.

"Ah, that makes sense".

* * *

"So what year did the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor?" Steve quizzed me.

"1941, sir" Steve looked at me, with a small amount of confusion on his face. "Wrong year?" I asked, flipping through a book he had given me.

"No, no, it's the right year" he said trailing off.

"But.." I supplied.

"It's nothing" he said, shaking his head. "It's just that, these days, not many people refer to others as sir and ma'am. That was something they did in the 40's" He smiled at me. I smiled back at him.

"I'm not like a lot of people, even though I was born and a relatively modern society, I still picked up habits that are now considered old fashioned" I said sadly.

"Is that just something your parents did?" he asked. I hesitated.

"No, just a", I thought for a moment. "Just a friend". Steve gave me a sad look.

"If you wanted to, you could bring her to the tower" he offered, trying to be kind.

"No" I said softly. _Don't cry, don't cry. Don't cry in front of our nation's hero. _ "She's gone". Steve gave me a sad look.

"I'm so sorry for your loss" he said genuinely. I shrugged my shoulders, not wanting to talk about it. He hesitated before speaking.

"Were you always from Canada?" he asked me, tentatively.

"No I was born on Long Island, I later moved to Canada" I looked at him shocked. "How did you know?"

"It's just that, when you're writing, you use the American spellings". I looked down at my page of notes and saw that he was right.

"Brilliant observation, Mr. Rogers"

"Please, just call me Steve" He hesitated before speaking again. "Your friend, what was her name?"

I hesitated. _Should I tell him who she was? He deserves to know._

"Peggy. Peggy Carter"


	4. Chapter 4

I was chopping fruit, planning on making a fruit salad for the rest of the avengers. I was meticulously slicing a banana until the knife slipped and blood began to flow from the back of my hand.

"Shoot" I quickly dabbed my hand, making sure that no blood got into the food.

"Excuse me" a voice said. I jumped, than realized that it was JARVIS that had spoke.

"Yes, Mr. JARVIS? Is something wrong?" I started to panic.

"You see Ms. Mavis-" I interrupted him.

"It's just Mavis". There was a brief moment of silence.

"Of course. When the knife slipped and blood began to flow from your hand," I quickly realized what he was getting at.

"One second please" I quickly walked into the bathroom and shut the door. _No cameras in here right?_ "Let me guess, you scanned the blood and searched through the database, trying to see if I would be a threat to your creator, Tony". Another moment of silence.

"Well, yes actually, you're absolutely correct. Your file is mostly hidden, and rest...The rest seems like that's all you wanted to be shown, like you chose what information was in the database. And it was heavily encrypted too. Encrypted just enough so that only Sir would be able to get past, and even then just barely."

"So all you want is for me to state my intentions, because you are unsure of them yourself?"

"Precisely Mavis" I smiled to myself. Many had asked JARVIS to refer to them as equals, but JARVIS's programming had forbidden him from doing so, he had to address them as Ms. or Mr.;I felt happy that I had a little more control over him.

"JARVIS, let me make myself clear. My top priority is to keep all the avengers safe. Their safety is of more concern then mine. However, I've lived a long life. I've made many enemies. By revealing exactly who I am, would be threatening the safety of the avengers, which in turn is threatening the safety of the whole world. I do not wish this. I have what I would consider good intentions.  
You know who I am, please, for the good of the avengers, do not tell them what you know. We'll keep this between you and me, ya?"

There was a brief moment of silence, JARVIS was running algorithms and formulas, trying to understand what I meant and whether I would threaten the safety of Tony Stark and the rest of the avengers.

"Yes Mavis, we shall keep this between us"

"I'm assuming that Tony is not a pervert and doesn't have cameras in the bathroom. However, clearly seeing as I am talking to you right now, there are microphones. Please mute the microphones for the period of time that we were talking. It is in the best interest of Tony that he doesn't know who I am, and that he doesn't know that you know who I am. Lie to him, hid the evidence, I don't care. The only way to best ensure his safety is that he doesn't know"

"Of course, Mavis"

"Thanks JARVIS"

* * *

It was dark outside, maybe 3 in the morning. I was in the dining room sitting at the island facing the kitchen. I was sketching a blueprint for... well it doesn't matter really. Suddenly I heard footsteps. I looked up, snapped my notebook shut and froze. Standing at the doorway was Bruce, also frozen with shock that someone else was here at this hour. It was clear that none of us expected the other to be here; it was also clear that we wanted an explanation from the other without having to give one ourselves.

"You ask me no questions and I'll ask you no questions" I said.

"Deal". He came and sat beside at the island. We sat in silence for a few minutes. "Have you heard of the theory of general relativity?" he asked me after a while. I nodded.

"Einstein's theory, that scientists believe might be the secret to unlocking time travel" he nodded.

"There's a little more to that though" he started to explain the speed of light and properties of time and I listened, interested in what he had to say.

This soon became a daily occurrence. We would sit at the island, neither asking the other what they were doing up so late. He would talk to me and explain quantum mechanics and kinetic theories while I would ask questions. It was clear that I was intelligent: after all, my IQ was the exact same as Tony Stark's. Bruce didn't know this; he didn't need to know the specifics.

However, I didn't know much about science; 12 years is not a lot of time to learn, especially when most of it was spent running away from top secret espionage organizations with control complexes. Either way, we became very close acquaintances, dare I say even friends.

Until, we weren't.

It was like a typical night in the Avengers tower, I was sitting at the island, waiting for Bruce Banner to finish his work, like I had every night for the past three weeks. He did not disappoint.

"Dr. Banner" I nodded to him as he entered the kitchen.

"Please, call me Bruce". We had greeted each other in the exact same way for three weeks. He had a look on his face though, I hadn't seen one like it. "Listen, I've been thinking," I held my hand in a gesture that encouraged him to continue, but I was afraid of what he was going to say.

"You're 12 years old, while I understand that you need less sleep than most children, you can't go forever without rest.

"And," he said, just as I opened my mouth. "And, I know for a fact that you haven't slept in over three weeks" I was starting to get angry. I thought we had made an agreement not to interfere with the other's personal lives?

"Please," I scoffed. "I took a huge nap yesterday" I lied. I really didn't like lying but I didn't want Bruce Banner constantly on my tail about the amount of sleep I was getting. Bruce raised an eyebrow at me.

"JARVIS", he called out to the ceiling. My eyes widened as I realized what he was going to do. "When's the last time Mavis got any sleep?"

_Please don't say anything JARVIS, please, please, please. _

_Did Tony install mind reading capabilities in JARVIS?_

"Mavis fell asleep for 5 hours, 3 weeks and 4 days ago, Dr. Banner" said JARVIS promptly.

Apparently not.

Bruce Banner looked at me in shock. Apparently he was expecting me to stay awake for less than that.

"It's really not a long time" I blustered. "Honestly, I'm fine" Bruce Banner growled at me. _Tread softly, Mavis_

"It's fine?!" he asked incredulously. "It's not fine! The average human being can go 2 weeks without sleep before dying! You need to get some rest!" Bruce Banner seemed angry and I made the huge mistake of pushing him further.

"It's doesn't really matter Dr. Banner" my eyes widened at what I had done. Dr. Banner started to swell, his skin turning green, his shirt shredding to pieces.

_Great job Mavis, make the Hulk mad._

Before the Hulk could hurt anyone, I looked him in the eyes. They were green, like emerald. I began to whisper in his mind.

_Calm, Banner. Think calm thoughts. _

I hummed a song that only he could hear and slowly, the Hulk began to revert to the form of Dr. Banner. He was shirtless, I took off my sweater and handed it to him. He put it on, looking at me with wide eyes.

_Great job Mavis, now he knows about your powers._

"You-" I cut him off before he could continue.

"Yes that was me, yes I can do it again. You will not ask me any questions, you will not tell anyone what happened. You still maintain as much control over the Hulk as possible, when the Hulk is unleashed, I can calm him down again. Capeesh?" he nodded slowly, still processing what had just happened.

"I'm going to go to sleep" and with that, I made my way to the elevator.


	5. Chapter 5

I folded the covers over me and lay in bed letting the sleep overcome me.

Worst mistake ever.

I saw my father, with a bottle in hand.

_"You think that you can make a difference in this world? You're nothing! A weak girl! A useless brat!" _

I lay in the corner in the room, making no attempt to to shield myself from the slashes he was making in my skin with the broken bottle neck.

_"I'm sorry" _I whispered.

_"Who cares if you're sorry? You're still eating food, using up resources that could've gone to someone that deserves it!"_

_"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry"._

Someone was screaming my name and I bolted into a sitting position.

_You're in the Avengers Tower. You're safe._

I became aware that there were tears streaming down my face and I swiped furiously at my eyes. Tony Stark was kneeling at the side of my bed with a concerned expression.

"What happened?" he asked softly. "Are you okay?"

"Nothing" I said, taking deep breathes. "I'm fine Howard" Tony tensed up and I quickly realized my mistake.

_Tony, not Howard you idiot. You're speaking to Tony._

"How do you know Howard Stark" he asked slowly. "He was dead before you were born."

I sighed and gestured to the chair in the far corner of my room.

"You may want to sit down". He did just that.

I opened my mouth like I was about to explain, than I bolted out of the room, shutting the door behind me.

"Wait Mavis!" he called after me, but I was already entering the elevator.

Jabbing the button for the lobby, I began to twitch nervously as the elevator began to move.

"Quickly JARVIS, please"

JARVIS must have heard me because the elevator began moving at a speed that I'm pretty sure were against safety regulations.

Just as the elevator doors began to open, I slipped past them and bounded out of the building.

I began to race down the streets of Manhattan, passing Bert.

I should explain, Bert was a friend. Sort of.

I passed him everyday when I went on my morning walk. As in my walk, at 4 in the morning.

Everyday I bought him a blueberry muffin, a coffee and a newspaper from the cornerstone, because he was allergic to the cinnamon in their scones.

He lived on the corner, just a block down from the Avengers Tower. He was homeless.

Everyday, he said to me "Top of the morning!" in a bright tone, happy for someone without a home.

Everyday, I smiled and wished him well.

He must have seen the red haired assassin chasing me and clued in to what was going on, for as Natasha as passing him, he stuck out his foot and she fell in the most comical way. She gave him a glare and he smiled at her, unfazed.

"Top of the morning!" he said. I wanted to laugh, but I was to busy running from the rest of the Avengers.

I ran as fast as I could, ignoring the constricting feeling beginning to grow in my chest. I ran through the alleys, twisting and turning, using my knowledge of the streets of New York city.

Clint Barton had somehow gotten in front of me, standing in the narrow alley way, trying to prevent me from passing.

"Sorry Mr. Barton" I whispered as I kicked him in the groin without slowing down. He groaned and fell to his knees.

I rushed past him, ignoring the fact that it was becoming more and more difficult to breathe.

Steve Rogers waiting a little further down, arms outstretched like he was going to catch me. _Unlikely._

I feinted to the left, and then to the right, and after tried to slip past him on the left.

But he was too fast.

He caught me and tossed me over his shoulders. I began to struggle, pounding on his back, trying to get him to let me go.

"You don't understand!" I screamed. "I can't stay here! You have to let me go!"

Without any hesitation, Steve kept walking, ignoring the looks from the people around us. As it was becoming impossible to breathe, I stopped struggling and remained limp.

"Steve", I croaked, surprising him with the sudden use of his first name.

"Steve...asthma...need inhaler" he understood and began to rush towards the tower. I had no control over the tears that were pouring out of my eyes and beginning to soak his shirt.

* * *

It turns out that Steve still had an inhaler from when he had asthma. My lungs began to clear and I lay on the couch in the living room, taking deep breathes.

"You have asthma?" asked Clint.

"Yes she does" Natasha answered for me. "She has asthma and a pacemaker".

"But she still managed to outrun the avengers for ten blocks" said Tony coldly. I winced.

"Tony, we need to talk" I said.

"Yes, we do" he said with a bitter tone.

"In private please" I spoke pointedly at the other avengers. They all got the message and left the room.

"Tony", I whispered. "I need you to look me in the eye." He looked at me, his brown eyes meeting my blue ones.

"I'm sorry Tony, I promise that what I'm doing will only benefit you" he looked at me with a confused expression.

I looked into his eyes, gazing into his mind.

_You will forget I said anything about Howard. If the others ask what we talked about, you will say that it was private._

His eyes glazed over and his pupils dilated.

"I'm sorry Tony" I said softly, as his eyes began to focus.

_I'm sorry._


	6. Chapter 6

I saw him that night, Tony Stark, with a bottle in his hand.

"Eh honey, what's cooking?" he asked me. He was most definitely drunk. He grabbed another bottle and twisted the cap off. I saw quickly what was happening.

His vitals were slowing down, his eyes almost...dead. Alcohol poisoning.

"Mr. Stark, put down the bottle" I said firmly. He gave no indication of hearing me and raised the bottle to his lips. The bottle that would surely kill him.

_Not today. Not while I'm here._ Rushing over to him I grabbed the bottle out of his hands. Except he didn't let go.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his words slurred.

"Saving your life" I said quietly. He was stronger than me and slowly, the bottle was getting closer and closer to his mouth.

I thought about my options. I couldn't control his mind, he was too drunk for that. There was no way to pour out the bottle. If I managed to get him to drop it, which was unlikely, the glass shards could seriously hurt him. I took the safest option.

I placed the bottle on my lips and chugged.

Let me say, for the record: vodka tastes awful.

Imagine a flame. Imagine someone took that flame and bottled it. Then mixed it with Tabasco sauce. And diluted that in car oil. Then slapped a brand label on it and sold it. There's vodka for ya.

Tony looked at me helplessly as I completely drained the bottle of its contents.

"Hey" he said. Before he fainted. On top of me.

It's not easy to lift a fully grown man but luckily, Bruce Banner happened to walk in right then.

"Oh my gosh" he said and he carried Tony to the medical center.

* * *

And somehow, at 2 in the morning, the news managed to reach each of the avengers in less than five minutes.

_Thank you Jarvis._

"He'll be okay" said Dr. Banner. "If he had finished one more bottle, he would have died"._ Thanks for breaking it lightly. _

"I want to make sure that this doesn't happen again. I'm serious, he came this close to death today." He held his fingers up an inch apart.

"He should be thankful that Mavis was there in time" said Clint Barton. I don't think I have ever seen him without a smile on his face but right now his expression was very grim.

I shrugged my shoulders, I really shouldn't be getting any thanks here.

"You save his life" said Natasha, surprised at my lack of response.

"It should have never come to that" I said sadly.

"You're right" broke in Steve Rogers, leader face on. _Am I? _I wanted to yell.

_Steve Rogers, the greatest man ever seen; nobody should ever need anything more than him!_ I frowned inwardly. _Hey calm down. _The battle was roaring inside of me, ripping my mind to shreds.

"Get some sleep" Bruce said before exiting the room. _And on that happy note..._

* * *

I retreated to the piano, the only place I could truly unwind. I watched my fingers dance among the keys. I heard footsteps behind me. I assumed it was Bruce, hopefully he would get the message and leave me alone.

The piece was monotonic, expected of Bach. I felt that Bach helped me get my emotions under control.

_That's all girls ever do! Cry and get emotional! _This time my inner voice was my father. _Shut up Dad. _I finished playing and ended the piece on a major chord.

Minor piece, major ending. _Because life always has a happy ending right? _Sometimes I really want to slap Johann Sebastian Bach in the face. Other times I feel like shaking his hand and patting him on the back.

_God, my life is so messed up. And it's just getting started. _

"What piece is that" asked a voice from behind me. I jumped, grabbing the nearest object and holding it in front of me, threateningly. Unfortunately, that object happened to be a metronome. Turns out, it was Steve.

"Metronome?" he asked, with an eyebrow raised. I slowly lowered my arm.

"They didn't have that in your day?" I asked him. I threw it at the wall, taking pleasure in the way he jumped in surprise. I stared at the broken pieces on the floor. "Never liked metronomes. They're bossy and I end up just tuning them out" I shrugged.

"What piece was that" he repeated, regaining his composure. I shrugged.

"Bach, Fugue in C minor, Well-Tempered Klavier, 1722, BWV 847" I said in an emotionless tone. _Thank you Bach, for helping me to hide my emotions under a blank slate. Lord knows how that'll come in handy in my life._

"I didn't know you played" he said, I tried my very hardest to resist the urge to roll my eyes. _Trying to start a conversation? _

"Now you do" I said shortly, closing the lid on the keys.

"I wanted to thank you personally, for saving Tony back there, we cannot work together without the whole team there". _So that's how he saw it. _

"No problem Mr. Rogers, though I would think it would simple enough to recruit another soldier for your 'team' here" I said coldly. He gave me a guilty look, which in turn made me feel guilty.

"Just Steve, I didn't mean it like that; I don't want him to die" he said quickly. Unfortunately, the thing about anger, the longer you bottle it up, the bigger it will come out.

"Of course you don't, Mr. Rogers." I said offhandedly, exiting the room.

"Just Steve, I honestly care about his well being!" he said and I turned around to face him.

"So that's just it? You want to make sure that your team can function, make sure every screw is finely tuned, every gear is smoothly turning. They mean nothing more to you?" he looked at me, flinching in pain at my words.

"I swear, I care about Tony-" I cut him off.

"Tony or the suit? I thought he was nothing? You know men that are worth ten of him, why not recruit them?" Steve looked I had just slapped him in the face.

"I didn't mean it" he said sadly.

"That's just it isn't it? You never mean it. If Tony really felt happy, he wouldn't be resorting to the bottle. If you were really his friend, you would know that he has nightmares every night. That every night, he dreams of his father telling him:'Steve Rogers would make a better son. Why can't you be like Captain America'. You would know that he likes his coffee black, with no sugar or cream. You would know that when he thinks the word father, he sees Edwin Jarvis. When he thinks the word mother, he sees Peggy Carter. You would know that every time he looks at you, he wants to hate you but he can't." I took a breath.  
"Self destructive tendencies, Mr. Rogers. Natasha hit it right on the nail".

"She's not dead" he said, just before I was out of earshot.

"Who?" I asked, standing still.

"Peggy's not dead". I froze.

_But I remember her body, lifeless and still. I remember at who's hand she died; for it was my own. She couldn't have survived._

I didn't respond, and made my way back to my room.

_What have I done?_


	7. Chapter 7

I was frantically searching, before finally accepting what my eyes saw. I closed the door, sliding on the floor and leaning against the refrigerator.

There was no more orange juice. Someone was going to pay.

I heard footsteps approaching me.

"Are you okay?" I looked up to see Tony Stark with a concerned look on his face.

"Welcome to the world of the living" I said, trying to steady my breathing. "I'm just gathering my energy".

He raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"I need to go to the corner store, to grab some orange juice."

He offered to go for me.

"No!" I said loudly. He jumped and I gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, but I don't trust you Americans with my food."

He gave me a hurt look and I rolled my eyes. Twisting sideways, I opened a random cupboard and pulled out a box. Microwaveable popcorn.

"Hmmm, let's see", I turned the box over, reading the ingredients. "Corn kernels (genetically modified no doubt), salt, artificial butter flavouring, yellow no. 2-" Tony cut me off.

"Alright, alright, what if I went but you came with me?" I pondered this.

"Sure"

* * *

We went to the corner store and searched everywhere but there was no orange juice.

"It appears the world hates me today" I said dejectedly. Tony walked past me to the cashier.

"Excuse me", he said in a mannerly fashion. "Do you carry orange juice?".

"Ah yes" the cashier said. She was a small timid lady and seemed to struggle explaining where it was. Finally I realised that English wasn't her first language; she kept slipping into French.

"C'est bien, je peut parler français aussi!" I quickly realized that Tony had the exact same thing at the exact same time.

"You speak French?" he asked me in English. I gave him a look.

"Canadian, remember? How did you become a francophone?"

"Howard". He didn't elaborate further and I didn't ask him to.

The cashier, seemed pleased that we knew French. She quickly explained that she had grown up in France and had only recently moved to America. She was very worried that she would lose her job and was trying her hardest to learn English.

"Just try and listen more than talk, try to use hand gestures as much as possible".

I wrote on a piece of paper some common phrases in English and French. "Google is a magical thing" I told her, after she had directed us to the orange juice.

"Ah! My saviour! Merci!" We all walked back to the cash register.

"You have a very beautiful daughter" the cashier told Tony. He started coughing violently and I patted his back.

"He's not my father" I kindly explained.

"Sorry, you look very similar!"

__What? __

"Daughter?" Clint started laughing.

"They do look somewhat similar" said Bruce thoughtfully. Tony had explained our adventure while I was slowly sipping a glass of well earned orange juice.

"Yes!", started Clint. "Take Tony, turn him into a teenaged girl, then lock him in a dark room for ten years so he loses the tan and his hair becomes darker!"

"Thanks" I muttered, frowning.

"I kinda see it, except for the eyes" Tony said. His eyes were brown, while mine were a bright blue.

"Mavis", Bruce asked. "You said you learned French in Canada but I thought you had never gone to school?"

"Hmm" I said swallowing a mouthful of juice. "My friend Harley taught me". Tony looked at me with wide eyes.

"Harley? Harley Keener?" I nodded.

I tried my best American accent. "My dad went to go buy scratch cards; guess he won because that was 6 months ago."

"It's a small world. I thought he lived in Tennessee?" Tony asked.

"He moved, obviously". Clint was staring at me with a hurt expression.

"Americans do not sound like that!" He said angrily.

"Actually, her accent was quite accurate" Bruce said.

At this moment Natasha and Steve walked in with a thin ginger between them. Natasha ran to us with a fierce expression on her face.

"Nat?" Clint started before Natasha had turned Tony around.

On his back, there was a black spider-like device. A bomb.


	8. Chapter 8

_Brilliant! Really smart! Totally ignore the giant bomb on the back of Tony's shirt. Real smooth!_

Bruce quickly tried to pry it off of Tony's back but, it seemed to be stuck on.

"I don't want to force it off", he explained. "just in case that any rough movement will set it off. If there's any chance of shutting it down, it would have to be while it is still attached to Tony".

The ginger that walked in earlier looked as if she was about to cry but, she was staying strong.

"Pepper", she said. "Pepper Pots, Tony's girlfriend, I wish we could have met under better circumstances" she told me sadly, holding out a hand. I shook it and pretended not to notice her shock at how cold my own was.

"Mavis", Bruce called, now wielding a screwdriver. "Could you come here? I could use your help" A couple seconds later, a black metal plate was in his hand exposing the wire in the device. "Oh god" said Bruce going pale.

I came over to him, bracing myself for what was about to happen.

"What is it?" asked Clint, who seemed somewhat impatient.

"This device, it holds the same technology that I used to try and recreate the serum. When the other guy was born." Bruce looked incredibly uncomfortable with the subject so I took over.

"Essentially, it collects all radiation of all types and concentrates it. The radiation is converted into gamma rays and is directed at an individual target using some sort of identification system. There's a vial of Tony's blood here, all radiation will be focused onto him and he will die a very painful death from the effects of radiation poisoning."

The avengers tried to mull that over.

"From what area is radiation collected?" Natasha finally asked. I hesitated and Bruce supplied an answer.

"About the state of New York" he said. Gasps came from all around.

"The radiation from Reed Richards's lab alone would be enough to kill him" I muttered, sorting through the wires. "Dr. Banner, I need a 100mL needle stat." The good doctor knew better than to question my request.

"What are you planning on doing?" Clint asked. I didn't answer.

Dr. Banner came quicker than expected, the needle in his hand. To his dismay, as soon as it was in my hand, I plunged it into my arm.

"What-" Bruce was clearly lost for words. I felt myself going faint as the needle filled up with bright red blood.

"What is she doing?" Steve whispered to Natasha. She had no response.

Suddenly Bruce began to catch on. "She's resetting the targeting system. It's going to target her instead of Tony.." He trailed off.

Finally seeing the filled vial of blood, I worked quickly, playing around with the wires in the device on Tony's back. He had been silent the entire time, which was unusual for him. Not a single sarcastic comment or sexual joke had come from his mouth. Suddenly a hand slapped down on my bicep.

"You can't do this", whispered Bruce. "This is what created the other guy". He seemed genuinely concerned.

"Of all people", I whispered back. "You should know that I'm the only option". He had a defeated look in his eyes but, he stepped out of the way.

"Alright, Tony" I whispered. "This device will be off your back in a few seconds". Closing the device, I screwed the metal plate back on. All of a sudden, I yanked it off of Tony's back and gave it a violent shake for good measure.

"The device will start working in 3, 2" I counted down the seconds before I felt a burst of pain, like a metal rod had just skewered my brain. I collapsed to the ground, leaning against the wall. Beads of sweat began to build up on my forehead. The avengers had gathered around me, with similar looks of concern on all of their faces. Pepper was rubbing Tony's back, whispering words of comfort in his ear.

I was holding my head in my hands, expecting it to melt and drip through my fingers. Finally, the device had finished its work and with a minuscule explosion, disintegrated.

"Are you ok?" asked Bruce, helping me up.

"Hydra is so going to pay" I said, gesturing to the scorch mark left on Tony's hardwood floor. The one that just so happened to be in the shape of a skull.

Cut off one head, and a thousand more will grow in its place.


	9. Chapter 9

I was awake in my room, staring out the window at the dark streets of New York. Cars zipped by, like little streaks of red and white light. My thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

"Mavis, I think you should go to Mr. Barton's bedroom." Jarvis informed me, and I complied.

There was a anxious beeping noise, and I quickly searched for the source of the annoying sound. Attached to the wrist of Clint Barton was a black bracelet, indicating his heart rate. 120 beats per minute it said. Clint Barton was having a nightmare.

But when I turned on the lights, I was completely amazed. There was an intricate system of objects placed along his bedside table and the shelf above his bed. When his bracelet started indicating an accelerated heartbeat, a separate device would start to vibrate, knocking over a book, which pushed a ball along a track. This continued until a bucket of water on the shelf above Clint's head would be tipped over, effectively waking Clint up. This would've worked, except Clint hadn't properly calculated the momentum of a pendulum.

So I took the bucket and dumped its contents onto Clint's head. Cuz I'm just nice like that.

Clint bolted upward, the water in his hair made it look more brown then sandy blonde. He looked at me.

"Gym. Now". I nodded.

* * *

After the Avengers found out that I had asthma and a pace maker, they all started treating me differently. Natasha no longer trained me as vigorously as before. Tony no longer called me down to his workshop to ask me to fetch him another cup of coffee. Bruce watched me carefully, to make sure that I was not over exerting myself.

Clint was different.

If anything, he trained me even harder, pushing me to run faster and do more reps. I hated it at first. After, I began to appreciate what he was doing.

Work myself harder to overcome my weaknesses.

It was somewhat counterintuitive but Clint seemed to have the same philosophy.

Hence, I was running myself to death on a treadmill and Clint was standing beside me watching.

Finally he tapped a cold water bottle against me arm. It was his way of telling me that I was done.

Stepping off the treadmill, I sat beside Clint on the bench and sipped from the newly acquired water bottle.

We sat in silence.

He talked first.

"Do you ever feel...out of place?" He asked. I invited him with my eyes to elaborate. "Do you ever feel like a monster, in a herd of beautiful gazelle?".

I didn't say anything. Was there a time where I didn't feel like that when I was with the avengers?

I slowly nodded my head.

"Me too" said Clint. There was a pregnant pause. "I killed a lot of people" he said, sounding completely broken. "So many died because of me".

"They all told you that it wasn't your fault?" I asked him. He nodded, clearly not believing what they had said. There was no point in me telling him the same thing, it wouldn't make any difference.

"There is always hope for a caterpillar, so that it may turn into a butterfly one day." I said. Clint rolled his eyes and walked out of the gym.

"I wish" he said over his shoulder.

"Me too" I whispered, after he left.

* * *

"So according to SHIELD intelligence, Hydra's main base is here" said Steven Rogers, sticking a thumbtack on a spot on a map.

Clint was sharpening an arrow with a dagger in his hand, he winked at me when I entered the room.

Tony was sitting with his feet up the table, fiddling with some device in his hands.

Natasha was assembling and disassembling a gun on the table, timing herself. I was pretty sure that 2 seconds was an inhuman record and that she broke the stopwatch.

Bruce appeared to be the only one listening but, even he was at risk at falling asleep.

"Guys, focus!" Steve said pleadingly, begging me with his eyes to help him. He so owes me.

"Alright cupcakes!" I said slapping the table. Tony dropped whatever he was holding and bumped his head on the table when leaning over to get it. Clint slipped and cut himself with the dagger. Natasha had no reaction other than the fact that it took a whole second longer to assemble her gun.

_Prick._

"This fight is a big one, that only you can participate in. It is relevant to all of you, more than you'd realize." I started to pace around the room.

"Tony", I said, pointing at him. "You have had battles against the 10 Rings and AIM?" He nodded. "Evidence suggests that those organizations were really branches of HYDRA". He looked shocked at this and I moved on.

"Clint", I said, now stopping in front of him. "HYRDA is the reason that Budapest happened". He swallowed.

"Natasha. What you believed was the KGB was really a rogue branch of HYDRA". She had a look of pain on her face, as if remembering the dark past she had to go through.

"Bruce", I said, approaching the last member of the Avengers. "You don't really have any connection to HYDRA, so I just need you to bear with me for now". He nodded.

"The point is, HYDRA is a highly advanced organization that needs to be stopped. The sooner you guys start taking that seriously, the soon they will be stopped".

"How do we know that we can trust you?" Natasha asked, still sceptical about what I had said earlier. "How do you know so much about our past? This information is not put in any reports or files in SHIELD".

I walked to the front of the room, looking down the long conference table. "There are other sources of intelligence, other than SHIELD". An argument began to break out among the Avengers.

"But", I continued. "But, you will trust me, because you have no other choice". Silence spread across the room like a thick layer of butter on bread.

"I have a plan".

* * *

**Guys, I haven't gotten a single review since my 7th chapter! And the reviews are all by the same person under different names! Whoever you are, thank you! Thanks to all who read, favourited and followed my story! Feedback is always appreciated. **


	10. Chapter 10

It was all going so well. Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff and I had infiltrated the Hydra base and were crawling through the ventilation system. The rest of us had busted through the back to create a distraction. The captain was flinging his shield everywhere and the Hulk was smashing like there was no tomorrow. Tony was shooting everything with his repulsers.

It all went downhill from there.

Our intel was completely inaccurate. There were more guards that we had anticipated. The distraction had failed and the three of them were captured. Soon after, some soldiers came and pulled the two assassins and me out of the air ducts. We were all reunited in a single prison cell.

They had left us armed, but there was nothing much we could do anyway. If we moved around too much, a guard would come and jab us with an electric rod. It hurt like hell.

Finally I sighed. "Mr. Barton, do you remember what I asked you that day in the gym?" I got a nod in return and confused looks from the rest of the team which I promptly ignored.

"Here's the deal. Tony, you blast the cell open. Collect as much data as you can and get the hell out of here. The rest of you, I want as many bombs set to blow as possible".

Not surprisingly, Tony was the first one to speak. "You do realize that this place is crawling with guards? And what about you? We're not leaving you behind.". I set my jaw and cracked my knuckles, to which Steve winced.

"I'm going to stay here and buy you some time. You all have three minutes starting from now".

"No!" shouted Tony. "I'm not leaving you behind. Yinson tried to buy me some time and he ended up dead. No one is getting left behind. We stick together!". I could see a few tears beginning to pool in his eyes. Sighing, I gave a look to Clint.

"Tony," Clint said. "No one is getting left behind. But it is simply more strategic to split up than to stay as one group. Besides, Mavis promised to make us that Paella today, she wouldn't let us down would she?". Clint gave me a sad look, as if he knew what I was about to do.

Everyone stared at me while I closed my eyes. I reached out with my mind, looking for every enemy soldier in this base.

"Go to sleep", I thought, and I could feel the many minds beginning to shut down. I could hear the guards outside our cell collapse and the whine of Tony's repulsers. I realized that I had fallen to my knees on the cell floor, but I did not stop.

It felt like I was running around, shutting down a billion computers. Except a whole lot more tiring. I finally opened my eyes, feeling like I was enveloped by a blanket of lead. I could feel the life seeping out of me. When I looked down, my hands looked pale, as in paler than usual. I was dying.

All of a sudden, I felt strong arms underneath my knees and behind my back. I was being lifted into the air, and whoever was carrying me was running. I forced my eyelids to open and I looked up into the face of Steve Rogers.

"What're you doin'?" I said, my words slurred. "You're wasting time, where's the rest of team?"

Steve Rogers looked down at me and gave me a sad smile. "No one get's left behind. Not because I need the team to function but because you are all my friends".

"It was never going to work, the plan. The only we could destroy Hydra is from the inside. We needed to captured". I looked up at his eyes, which were a misty grey blue colour. "Keep 'em safe, Steve", I said urgently. "For me, keep 'em safe".

He began to look a little panicked but I could no longer support my neck and my head lolled to side, away from his chest. All energy had left me and I felt the world dissolve around me.

* * *

The avengers were seated around a rectangular conference table as they silently remembered their lost friend.

"She hated rectangles", Tony said finally with a soft voice. "Rectangles and squares, she hated them. She loved the look of circles". Pepper Potts was silently crying beside him, and Tony had his hand on her knee under the table. Natasha's eyes look sad and empty. Nicholas Fury entered the room.

"She sacrificed her life in service, she died in honour, and she will be remembered as a hero". Suddenly, Nick gave a ferocious cough.  
"She had no personal effects, but she said that she built a robot, which is currently situated in the garage at Stark Tower. She named it Axel. She said she wanted Tony to have it".

The avengers stood up, and shuffled out of the room.

"The last thing she said to me before that mission", said Clint, "was that I need to secure the future of the team, and that I needed to make sure that her orders were carried out to ensure our safety. It's my fault that she's dead".

* * *

As Tony exited the SHIELD HQ with the rest of the Avengers, he saw a girl walking down the sidewalk across the street.

"Hey", he whispered to Clint. "doesn't that girl look exactly like Mavis?". Clint gave him a confused expression.

"Who's Mavis?" he asked. Tony halted in his place and stared at him.

"The girl who has been living in the Avengers tower for the past two months. The one who died today?". Tony looked around and saw that the rest of the team was giving him concerned looks.

"Are you okay?" asked Dr. Banner. "There has never been a girl named Mavis living in the tower, and nobody died today".


	11. Chapter 11

"What did you say?" he asked me, leaning forward and spraying saliva all over my face. His German accent twisted the 'w' in the word 'what'.

I was standing amongst a group of male soldiers; we had just finished our training for the day.

"I said, I was the one that stole another meal package". I looked the man in the eye.

One of the men beside me gave me a worried look but he was unable to do anything without getting himself in trouble along side me.

The man's mouth twisted into a cruel smile. "You know what happens to assets that disobey".

* * *

The next thing I knew, I was a bloody mass lying on the ground. I felt a metal bat come down on my arm and I knew with absolute certainty that it was broken.

The bat came crashing down again and again until I could no longer count the number of beatings my body had taken. I remembered being roughly lifted and than thrown out of the room.

I gave a small groan but remained still. I stared at the ceiling, trying to focus on the flakes of paint that were peeling off. I stared into the bright lights but they began to go out of focus.

All I could see was white. White like the clouds that I saw in the sky on the few occasions that I went outdoors. It felt like colour had bled out of the world and left behind a blank canvas.

Suddenly, I saw blue. Blue eyes stared into mine, they were filled with worry and fear. Blue like the sky that swallows the clouds. The blue like the murky seas that hid entire worlds.

I felt movement on my right and suddenly a hand began to wrap a bandage around my bloody arm. I felt the bone being pushed back into my skin, I assumed that it must have been extruding earlier. I didn't make a noise at the sudden pain, but I held my breath until he was done.

"You're a fucking idiot" he said to me.

I gave a weak grin. "That's what I get for covering your ass all the time?"

"I never asked you to steal the meal package for me" he said.

"I know you didn't. But you need to ea and the way they were feeding you, I'm surprised you even survived this long".

He finished wrapping all my wounds and clenching my teeth, I used my good arm to push my back off the floor to sit against the wall. Looking at him in the eye, I realised that he was a lot more worried than he seemed and my expression softened.

"I'm fine, alright? Give me a couple of hours and I'll be as good as new." I flashed a grin and he gave a small smile before his features twisted into a frown.

"Don't you ever pull something like that again, do you hear me?"

"I make no promises but I'll try". I have him a cheeky look. "Face it, you wouldn't last one day without me".

He opened his mouth to argue but I cut across him.

"Oh Noble, how can I ever survive without you?" I spoke in a falsetto.

He punched my good shoulder and I pretended to rub it in pain.

"You dare hit a lady?" I asked and he stuck his tongue out at me.

"One day, Summer, karma will come and get you".

Just as I said that, an alarm went off, a loud blaring sound that supposed to warn of invaders but just blew out the eardrums of everyone in the building.

"Invaders" Summer said grinning at me.

"Come on!" I said springing to my feet and ignoring the pain in my arm. "If we're lucky, they're taking prisoners!"

We never pretended to normal human beings.

Then again, nothing about Hydra was normal.


	12. Chapter 12

Working for Hydra felt like being a doll. They'd dress you up and brush your hair and tell you that you were doing great, "you're so beautiful!"

They would create stories, forcing you to act them out, putting their dirty little hands on your hands and feet making them move.

They'd speak and pretend to the whole world that the words had come from your mouth, not theirs.

New characters would come in to fit their story. They didn't last long.

Only Hydra's favourite dolls would continue, which at the time seemed like a blessing but was now revealed as a disguised curse.

I was their favourite doll.

At the end of the day, if I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of the truth, there was only one thing I knew.

I was made of plastic.

I was born of the same lies that came out of their mouth. Brought up to believe that their twisted concept of justice was right.

I was shaped into a murderer the way clay was shaped into a vase.

And I hated it.

The effort it took me, to swim to the surface with a brick tied to my ankle was exhausting but, now I could see the light.

It was beautiful and I would show it to all who were willing to open their eyes and look. So naturally, Summer was the only one.

This all explained why Summer and I were dashing across the base, looking for the SHIELD infiltrators. Luckily, it didn't take long.

There were two of them, adorned with many weapons.

The girl, had red tendrils of hair surrounding her face. Her green eyes narrowed at us and her hands immediately flew to her hips, no doubt where her weapons were stored.

The other one carried what appeared to be a bow and arrow, though more complicated in terms of engineering. There were gears and strings and I wanted so bad to take it apart and study it.

No time for that now.

"What ever happens", said Summer in German, "just don't tell them anything". We both knew that one, if not both, of the SHIELD agents spoke German but we needed to get their attention.

Both of them sprung at us and we let them capture us while pretending to put up a fight. They led us out of the base while rapidly speaking into their earpieces. Our hands were handcuffed behind our backs.

The people at Hydra could speak every language known to man and a few unknown languages too. Wanting to communicate with privacy, Summer and I had created our own language which we could understand.

"_Get_ _ready_" Summer whispered in our secret tongue and the ginger gave us a frown.

The two agents continued to march us to what appeared to their extraction point. Impatiently waiting, they had lowered their guard. Summer gave me a sideways look, the expression he always had when he was up to something.

In three seconds, we twisted out of the agents' grasp and tore down the streets of Phoenix, Arizona. Summer, being stronger than me ripped the metal handcuffs apart with ease. He than ran in a different direction, to make it harder for the agents. We would find each other somehow.

I swung my hands from behind back, below my legs and two my front. Pulling a knife that I had palmed from the SHIELD archer out of my waistband, I manoeuvred it is against the chain restricting my hands. Crouching down in an alleyway between two apartment buildings, I stomped down on the knife breaking the chain on the process.

I got skills.

Unfortunately, all this allowed one of the SHIELD agents to catch up to me. I bolted through the thin alley and ran up the fire escape on one of the buildings, noticing the agent following me.

He had almost caught up to me but I noticed a pipe attached to the building. Springing from the fire escape, I grabbed the pipe and slid down it, fireman style. The pipe wouldn't be able to support his weight. I ran as fast as I could ignoring the pain beginning to grown in my right arm. No matter, I would just use my left arm.

Go ambidexterity.

Unfortunately, it seems as though both agents had gained up on me instead of splitting up, for just as I turned the corner, the red head pulled out a taser and jabbed it into my neck. I had quite a bit of resistance to electricity thanks to Hydra but she must of set it to the highest setting. I felt the current overload my system and I immediately collapsed. The other agent had joined is, breathing heavily. He slung me over his shoulder, and casually walked down the street, attracting no second glances.

The ginger didn't need to track down Summer because in less than a minute he had joined us.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" I hissed at him, trying to keep the pain out of my voice.

"Together forever?" he said, while giving me the sideways "Summer look".

"That is the cheesiest rubbish I have ever heard" I said. I heard the distinct click of handcuffs and turned my head to see that the ginger had put three sets of handcuffs in him. I snickered.

"I'm just surprised they had so many pairs" Summer shrugged.

"Murphy's law" grinned one of the SHIELD agents, he had sandy hair and a playful smile on his face despite the fact the he had captured two top notch criminals.

Murphy's law indeed.


	13. Chapter 13

So they called this place "the BUS".

It was basically a posh RV with wings.

I had learned that the two agents that captured us earlier were called Romanov and Barton. I didn't know any of their first names.

Summer seemed to recognise Romanov's name but he struggled to remember where he had heard it.

Don't you just love having your mind wiped and memories erased?

I know I do.

We were tossed into a silver room and the door was locked behind us. There was a table and pen on the table in the room. I chuckled to myself.

"The Peggy Carter test", Summer said, recognising the tactic.

There was so much one could do with a pen, our reaction would give our captors great insight into our character and thought processes.

I grabbed the pen and whipped my arm, letting it go into the air. It hit its mark in the lens of a camera that would have been invisible to the untrained eye. I easily retrieved it, though I admit that I had to stretch in order to reach it.

Groaning, I leaned on the wall and slid down, turning the pen between my fingers.

"I'm bored now" I told Summer.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a habit he's always had.

"We could escape" I shook my head.

"Being on the run is boring. Besides, if these guys are going to take down HYDRA, I want in".

Summer nodded in agreement, and sat down cross legged in front of me. He took pen from my hand and etched a shape into the ground between the us.

"Tic tac toe?"

It felt like forever until the emotionless ginger entered the room. By that time, I had beaten Summer in many games of tic tac toe, hangman, and pictionary, though I suspected that he had allowed me to win most of those times. The walls were completely covered with pen ink, as well as parts of the ceiling.

The agent strolled into the room, and I noticed that all her movements were graceful like those of a dancer. Every small action, even those that seemed involuntary were intentional and thought out. She took a seat at one of the chairs which was bolted to the floor near the table.

"My name is Agent Natasha Romanov" she said after a pregnant pause. She gave us a once over with her eyes. Summer and I took a seat at the chairs.

She looked at me in the eyes before gazing at Summer. "How long have you been working for HYDRA?" she asked.

Summer paused before a brief moment before speaking. "Jordan Blaire. Asset. 187442".

"Their leader's name?"

"Jordan Blaire. Asset. 187442".

How many bases are there?"

"Jordan Blaire. Asset. 187442".

"What's your name, rank and serial number?"

"187442. Asset. Jordan Blaire". She cracked a smile at that.

She turned to me.

I knew what Summer was thinking. It was clear that every word we said would limit our options and reveal too much to a person who was too strategic. None of us felt comfortable with telling too much to someone we didn't completely trust.

"You know what I want right now?" I asked. Natasha looked at me with curiosity. "An ice cream. You don't happen to have any do you?" Natasha sighed, then got up to leave the room.

"Sprinkles would be nice!" I called after her.

A little while later, me and Summer were holding cones of chocolate ice cream with sprinkles and a cherry, trying not to let it melt onto our hands. We were both taking our time; we weren't in the mood for another interrogation anytime soon.

When our eyes met, I noticed that Summer was smiling. It wasn't like he was grinning, he never smiled in that sense of the word, but there was a smile in his eyes.

"You owe me" I stated knowingly, and Summer looked at me with a frown.

"I let you beat me at tic tac toe over one hundred times!" he said, as if I had stabbed him in the back.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night" I said, humouring him, both of us knowing that neither of us slept well no matter the time of day.

"Besides, I'm talking 10 Ferraris worth of debt". Summer gave a small huff, which was his version of rolling his eyes.

"It's one ice cream cone," he said exasperated. "But you should've told them that you wanted a Ferrari and seen if they would've given it to you".

"Yes, I should have" I said thoughtfully. "If you won't fully appreciate the value of that ice cream, you can give it to someone who will". With this, I extended my hand.

Summer looked at my hand, then his ice cream, then brought it a little closer to him, protectively.

I chuckled knowingly, before sighing. "Now we wait for the next one".

The next one came soon after I had said that, Agent Barton. He seemed carefree, grinning at us like we were his best friends.

Needless to say, we did not grin back.

He sat at the table like Romanov had, and suddenly looked at me.

"Wasn't your arm broken before?" he asked concerned. "We could get someone in to help you".

I looked at him, with a robotic gaze. "We could get someone in to help you".

"God, this is hard", Barton said, rubbing the heels of his hands on his eyes.

"Honey, the pants haven't even come off yet" said Summer, trying to diffuse the tension while diverting Barton's attention from my magically healed arm.

Whilst staying at HYDRA, we had heard rumours that SHIELD had been infiltrated with agents. These rumours hadn't been confirmed until SHIELD had burnt down to the ground, and Project Paperclip was dumped onto the web. While we wanted to take down SHIELD, we didn't want to spill all our secrets to someone who could potentially still be working for HYDRA. We were waiting for someone that we were completely sure we could trust.

Clint Barton was too mysterious to be that someone.

Bucky continued to mercilessly flirt with Agent Barton until he had once again turned to me.

"What is your connection to HYDRA?" he asked, a faint blush still visible on his cheeks.

I gave him what Summer called my "these are not the droids you are looking for" gaze.

"What is your connection to HYDRA?" Instead of getting frustrated like I thought he would, he grinned widely.

"Cheese"

"Cheese"

"Sally sells seashells by the seashore"

"Sally sells seashells by the seashore"

"Notre père, qui es au ciel, que ton nom soit sanctifié"

"Notre père, qui es au ciel, que ton nom soit sanctifié"

"I suck and am a huge dork"

I smiled sweetly at Barton.

"At least you're not afraid to admit it"

Growling, Barton stomped out of the room, while Summer tried to hold in his laughter.

Summer and I were convinced that two attempts at interrogation would be the end of SHIELD's attempts to penetrate our defences protecting our past but a few hours later, a suspicious character entered the cell.

He opened the door and entered, then peeked out the door as if to make sure that no one had seen him.

He smiled at us. A genuine smile. Not to lower our defences or to get a reaction to psychoanalyse but a small innocent smile to display feelings of happiness and suggest a potential future friendship.

I have heard rumours about such a smile but I had never witnessed one before. Truthfully, I didn't fully believe that they existed.

He looked both of us in the eye.

"My boss thinks that both of you are utter wastes of time and resources and that you have nothing to offer." He paused and gave us a small smile, like the one before. "I disagree".

I could feel Summer shifting in his seat, getting excited.

"Why is that?" he asked the man.

"It's difficult for me to explain why, but I think that you both have potential. HYDRA has twisted you into some kind of mindless soldier but you deserve a life of your own. A life created by your own dreams, sculpted by your own choices. I want to help you get that life."

I knew what Summer was thinking. It was easy to tell, just by looking into the man's eyes that he sincerely believed what he was saying. If there was anyone to trust in this agency, it would be him.

"Tell me, sir, what is your name?" I spoke while leaning forward in my seat.

"Agent Phil Coulson".

"Well, Agent Coulson, what would you like to know?"


End file.
